Lawyers, What’s On Tap?
Alcohol and lawyers aren’t restricted to DUI case representation
Want to prove to family and friends that lawyering is insane? Not only are there loads of surveys, statistics, and serious research on the correlation between lawyers and stress, but it seems that lawyers are the hardest hit by the evils of society. Ranging from depression, to alcohol abuse, and a higher propensity to acquiring serious medical conditions, there’s no limit to the insanity that is the art of lawyering. We’ll take the flak when you present this article to the people around you when they say being a lawyer must be so damn awesome. It’s not, and we know that. You know that, too.
Should it come as any surprise that over 1/5th of lawyers are heavy drinkers? To put it in blunt terms- a lot of lawyers are drunks who need to get on their local AA list. The only time lawyers should really be handling alcoholism at this crazy level should be when they’re taking on a DUI case. Alarmingly, however, it’s lawyers on the wrong side of alcoholism.
According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a whopping 20.6% of lawyers indulge in not just any kind of drinking- but in “hazardous, harmful and potentially alcohol-dependent drinking.” That’s something that can only be changed from within the industry. Call it a job hazard, but lawyers are faced with really serious levels of stress on an almost-daily basis. This in turn either creates or exacerbates symptoms of depression in lawyers. A vicious cycle is formed, culminating in self-sabotaging behavior to self-treat the depression. Alcoholism, drug-dependency, and other risk-intense activities are spurred by the presence of depression and stress. Basically a lethal cocktail if you will.
Lawyers are perfectionists either by nature or conditioning. Although it might seem contradictory, it’s not. When lawyers feel that they have no control over their life, their emotions, and their work, they get caught in a downward spiralling orb. Whether you or a lawyer you know are facing alcoholism, or depression, please seek help. Support other lawyers who exhibit self-sabotaging signs before it’s too late.
